Sven's Andy Cap

You have got to feel desperately sorry for Andy Johnson, the player who has burst forth from nowhere in a poor Crystal Palace team this season yet has become the top English goalscorer in the Premiership.

You have got to feel desperately sorry for Andy Johnson, the player who has burst forth from nowhere in a poor Crystal Palace team this season yet has become the top English goalscorer in the Premiership.

He's done it as the lone striker in Palace's tactical formation - a system that, by chance, England boss Sven Goran Eriksson utilised against Holland.

Thus far it looks good for Johnson, desperate to prove he can play in exalted company.

Except that Eriksson, a law unto himself, only gave Johnson half an hour on his international debut. And, worse, played him on the right wing!

Now that's darned well insulting. It's ludicrous because it proves nothing about the player's credentials and Eriksson deserves to be panned for it. The bald one didn't stand a chance and it's only to be hoped that he isn't treated like Geordie Alan Thompson and becomes a one-cap wonder.

Eriksson wanted to play the Chelsea way only he didn't have the players to do it. And consequently so many suffered.

Shaun Wright-Phillips looked an overawed, apprehensive kid when in reality he's a quality player, and Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing came on with Johnson to operate not as he would have liked.

But at least he was vaguely on the left while Andy had absolutely no chance of becoming handy where he was.